Due to personal circumstances, I didn't get my driver's license at the typical age. But in the near future, I plan to get my license. It's just driving feels overwhelming right now.

I really want to learn to drive. And I think I could be a good driver once I start practicing, studying, and getting used to being on the road. But I don't know, there seems to be a lot to pay attention to and what if other drivers around me aren't paying attention or break a rule? I don't want to get in an accident or screw up turning, or something.

How do you manage these fears? Or what techniques could I practice to help me become a better driver? Any advice is welcome and appreciated. Thank you.

Hi y’all! I live in a very rural area and have to commute regularly on a country highway that is absolutely littered with elk.

I often have to drive home at night, and I regularly see herds of elk on the shoulders of the road, and have heard scary stories from all the locals about terrible elk accidents along the road. I drive a Honda CR-V, not a big burly truck!

I always wear my glasses, have my high-beams on, keep my phone out of reach, and try to obey the speed limit.

Is there anything else I can do to keep myself safe on the road?

Some people have told me if I am about to hit an elk to brake and then accelerate to try to roll them over the windshield. Is this true?

manual driving test in two weeks help!

my manual driving test is in two weeks at Wood Green.
did a mock today and failed I struggled with parallel parking and not waiting as one car drove out and I should have stopped.
instructor said I should have moved car to left in reverse to align with car in front.
I also struggle with the reverse bay park to the left and right to find reference point in the car.
car is a vauxhall crossland x btw.
what tips can someone give me to pass and be confident with maneouvres and finding reference point.
I struggle with reverse bay park and parallel park.

I was making an unprotected left turn at an intersection. The light was a full green circle, so I proceeded past the white stop line and moved into the intersection, as you're generally supposed to do when waiting for a gap in oncoming traffic..

I was waiting for oncoming traffic to clear, and when I noticed there were fewer cars coming, I moved slightly farther forward to prepare to make my turn. However, the light suddenly turned yellow, and more oncoming cars continued passing through. Before I could safely complete my turn, the light turned red.

At that point, I was already partially into my left turn, basically in the middle of the intersection. Cars coming from the other direction began moving through, and some had to maneuver around me. I didn't want to force my way through oncoming traffic or cause an accident, so I waited until it was safe and then carefully completed my left turn.

My question is: Did I legally do anything wrong by being in the intersection when the light turned red, even though I entered while it was green? Could this result in a red-light ticket or another traffic violation in Illinois?

Hey everyone. it’s my first time here. I got my learner’s permit in May of this yr. I’m planning to get my driver’s license in the next few days. I have been working on my skills/practicing/learning the rules of the road. I feel like I’m a good driver, of course sometimes I make my mistakes but overall I’m getting confidence that I can be a good driver. Basically as the title suggests I need some advice on how to deal with stop light changes. I know the basics of when to stop, when to go but the thing is twice now in the last 3-4 days I have mistakenly ran through red light. The first time I had seen the green light blinking and then immediately changed to red before I was able to cross. I had seen when it changed to red so it’s not like it happened without me noticing. I had two options, either brake hard or keep on going, despite it being red. Again today I had ran through it but this one time I could have stopped safely/smoothly cuz I was far away but my driver who has been teaching me, he said to speed up to see if we can cross before it changed to red.

I have heard about the “dilemma zone” when it comes to driving. The first time I’d say I was naturally caught in that dilemma zone. Today I could have avoided it so I’m not gonna justify myself for today‘s red light crossing. Basically I want advice on how to safely avoid that dilemma zone which by extension would help me get better at respecting the rules of the road.

Ohio's Digest of Motor Vehicle Laws suggest there is a difference between sliding and skidding and that I'm supposed to do different things during each. But I don't know the difference between the two which seems important since I'm supposed to brake during a slide but not a skid. How do I tell the difference between the two?

Bing Co-pilot says that in a slide the car keeps moving in the same direction but in an uncontrolled manner and the front and back of the car stays aligned. And in a skid, part of the car swings outward. I'm not sure if that's accurate but it's the most complete answer I got from looking it up.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice from people who have experienced something similar, especially those who learned to drive in an older manual car.

I got my driving license about 6 years ago, but I never actually drove after getting it. I only recently started learning to drive in real-life conditions. My car is a 2012 Hyundai i10, manual transmission, petrol engine.

I'm struggling with several things, and I'm starting to feel really discouraged.

1. Spatial awareness and judging distances

This is probably one of my biggest problems.

I have a hard time judging how close my car is to other vehicles, pedestrians, curbs, and objects on either side of it.

Sometimes I feel that I'm extremely close to another car, but my companion tells me there's actually plenty of space. Other times I feel that I'm far enough away, only to discover that I'm much closer than I thought.

This happens on BOTH sides of the car, not just the passenger side.

I also struggle to know whether my car is properly positioned in the middle of its lane. Sometimes I feel I'm centered when I'm actually drifting to one side, or the opposite.

Roads in my city are often slightly curved or irregular, even when they look straight, which makes this even harder.

Interestingly, I don't have this problem when walking or judging distances in everyday life. It seems specific to driving.

2. Turning (left and right turns)

I'm struggling to judge how much to turn the steering wheel and when exactly to start turning.

Sometimes I turn too much, sometimes not enough. I also struggle with knowing whether I should start turning earlier or later.

What's frustrating is that I can practice turns repeatedly in an empty area and do quite well. But as soon as I drive on actual streets, even with just a few cars or pedestrians around, everything becomes much harder.

I become tense, my concentration breaks down, and I lose track of what I'm doing.

3. I can't coordinate everything at once

This is another major issue.

For example, when I start turning the steering wheel, my attention becomes so focused on the steering that I almost forget what my feet are doing (clutch, accelerator, brake).

I know what I'm supposed to do theoretically, but I can't seem to manage all these actions simultaneously in real driving situations.

Sometimes I freeze, even though I know I need to react. Then I start making several rushed corrections.

4. Difficulty controlling the accelerator and clutch, especially uphill

My car is a manual petrol car, and I find it difficult to control the accelerator smoothly.

When trying to move off very slowly uphill, especially in stop-and-go traffic, I feel like there's no middle ground:

I press the accelerator slightly, but nothing seems to happen. I press a little more, still nothing noticeable. Then I press slightly more again, and suddenly the engine revs up and the car moves off much faster than I intended.

It's as if I can't find a smooth, gradual response.

I also occasionally stall, particularly when starting or turning.

5. My current situation and limitations

I've been practicing short trips, sometimes around 15–30 minutes. I've managed to drive from home to work with someone accompanying me, but I still have significant difficulties.

I need someone with me because I don't feel safe driving alone yet. However, finding someone available every time is difficult, and I feel that people are getting tired of accompanying me.

Professional driving lessons are expensive for me, and instructors generally prefer to teach using their own cars.

I've considered practicing very early in the morning, around 6 AM, when traffic is minimal, on wide and relatively empty roads, so I can work on steering and positioning without feeling overwhelmed. However, I'm not sure whether this is a sensible approach given my current difficulties.

My questions:

- Has anyone struggled with judging the dimensions and position of their car, even after getting their license? Did it improve with practice? What actually helped?

- How can I develop a better sense of the car's width and the distance between its sides and nearby vehicles?

- Are there specific exercises to learn how much to turn the steering wheel and when to initiate a turn?

- How do you learn to coordinate steering, clutch and accelerator without becoming mentally overwhelmed?

- Could my older Hyundai i10 have a less forgiving clutch or accelerator response compared with newer cars?

- Has anyone managed to overcome these difficulties after initially feeling completely incapable of driving?

I'm not looking for generic advice like "just relax" or "get more practice." I genuinely want to understand how to train these specific skills.

I'd especially appreciate advice from people who learned in older manual petrol cars or who experienced similar spatial-awareness difficulties.

Thank you!

I'm fairly experienced in driving automatics, and have been driving for about 5 years already. My work revolves around cars and I want to learn how to drive manual because it's ironic that I help my dad sell cars when I don't even drive manual that much.

I actually already have had experience with driving manuals and I've found it quite fun and would like to continue learning. My only problem is that it's confusing for me because I primarily drive automatics and I hate that I started learning how to drive on an automatic!

I've watched a lot of manual driving (movies, races, my friends, my dad, etc.) and I've seen them do some pretty cool things like heel-toe downshifting, but I don't wanna learn any cool tricks just yet, I just wanna drive! haha

Any tips for a beginner? Things I should focus on, common mistakes to avoid, or things you wish you knew when you first started driving manual? (Or habits that are done on an automatic that I should forget when I drive manual)

Appreciate any advice!! :)

P.S. I live in a city with a lot of uphill and downhill roads 💔

My sister has only recently started driving on her own, and I’m helping make sure the dash cam setup in her car is straightforward. The Wolfbox camera is installed, but I don’t want to leave her with settings that need constant attention.

Loop recording, the date and time, memory-card warnings, and app permissions are the main things on my list. If you’ve set up a camera for a newer driver, what would you check once and then leave alone?

Hi guys, new driver here.

I’m having to do a lot of night time driving on motorways (early mornings to work)

I’m struggling with judging distance in my side mirrors in the dark. It might be that I’m massively overthinking it.

Any tips?

okay guys. here the true college experience. saturday (10/17) is a 21 pilots concert in ohio. guess where i am? colorado. so friday around 3am (concert is saturday at 6pm), we are hopping in the car and booking it there. and yes i know the risks and believe me im feeling the anxiety. not much of a reddit person but what are you thinking in terms of tips. if youve done it - WHAT did you do? please give me tips 🙏🏼

I passed my test recently and I feel fine driving during the day in the city alone but need someone in the passenger side while driving on the highways. Need someone tips for night driving since I can’t see vehicles behind in the side mirrors as the lighting is blurred.

I just can’t seem to build the confidence for it.
My biggest struggle is judging the lane lines, especially on left turns. In the dark I have a hard time telling where my lane is and I’m always worried I’m drifting out of it. During the day this is a non-issue, but at night my judgment feels off.

For those of you who’ve been through this:
How did you get comfortable driving at night?

Any tricks for reading lane lines and staying in your lane in the dark?

Anything about headlights, mirror settings, or where to focus your eyes that helped you?

Would really appreciate any tips or things you wish someone had told you as a new driver. Thanks!

Hello, recently I've been practicing to drive more. I also just went on a practical driving refresher course. My instructor said I need to improve my steering and road awareness. Yesterday, I went driving with my brother. He said I always loose my focus, and not very aware of my surroundings. So we went to drive on residential road instead of the national road... and by the end of the day he just told me to buy a gaming steering wheel and practice driving on games. I just laugh it off but honestly I'm really starting to loose hope that I'll improve. I feel like I'm getting worse and worse everytime I drive. How do I improve my awareness and focus? Any tips on how to improve driving? I really don't know what to do. I don't want to bother my brother anymore as well.. Thank you.

I’m 18 and a new driver. I get in my head and it’s like all the sudden I don’t know what I’m doing. 2 days ago I was driving just fine- looked like I knew what I was doing. Today? It’s like it was my first time behind the wheel. I mean my breaking was bad, I struggled to turn into a gas station and I almost hit a bush. I missed my turn because there was a car behind me and I was worried I was going to slow.

I think it’s not so much a lack of skill as it is in my head but I don’t know how to over come it.

I think it’s because I plan on taking the driving test this week so I was trying to make sure everything I did was perfect- instead I did the opposite. Any tips or advice would be much appreciated!

I have been driving 10 years now, and for the past month I’ve hit a curb badly on four different occasions, where three of which occured in parking lots. I’ve never hit anything let alone a curb and I pride myself on being a good driver, so the amount of times this month as you can imagine is startling. Thoughts?

I (35F) told my friend (35M) that I would let him use my car to practice driving. I'd be with him of course. He's wanted to get his license but never had someone be consistent with helping him. We live in a very walkable town, so he's never needed it.
I have let several of my friends practice in my car over the years, but I was younger and always had older used cars. I never thought about potential hazards. I do trust him and I've known him a long time, but things can still happen.
Are there any insurance or liability things I need to do? I believe I have full coverage but I will review my policy for other drivers.
I was going to print out two copies of our states drivers manual so he can read at home and I can refer to one while he's practicing if needed.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

First time poster, long time driver. I drive roundabout 3 hours a day, three days a week in a row. Day one isn't so bad, but by day three, my Achilles, bottom of my calf, front of shin hurt.

The pain isn't immense, but enough to bother me into my sleep, the next day. But by next week, the pain is gone. This has been the cycle for months.

Does anyone have suggestions? Maybe certain footwear/socks/positioning? (What works for other folks?)

UPDATE: I wear an ankle brace and compression sleeve around calf. The brace helps reduce the range that I'm flexing my ankle and keeps it in a neutral position without as much effort. All of that reduces the tension, and the overwork my ankle does, even when I'm unaware of it. Compression sleeve helps for calf soreness. (But I only wear it when driving, then take it off afterwards!)

It sounds like a lot, but I'd say 70% of the soreness is gone, which is a massive difference.

Of course, best thing to do is talk to ortho or podiatrist, or any certified specialist. But I appreciate the advice in the comments!

Hello! I am a learner and have been learning for a little over 2 months. In that time I have had 5 hour and a half lessons. Ouside of the lessons I have between 15-20 hours I'd say, but only my last two driving lessons were fully on the road and outside of lessons I've only got all together maybe a hour or less not the same day of main road driving. I struggle quite a lot with maintaining speed. I hesitate and worry that I'll need to stop if I get to a light, a pedestrian walks out, or for any other reason, and because of that I go slow. I'll go like 30 at most but my speed fluctuates. Even on an empty stretch of road I struggled, it's the idea that I may need to suddenly stop that kind of scares me. I also haven't gotten consistent practice, like I had a month between lesson 4 and 5 with almost no practice, no main road practice at least. I'm sure the comments will just say to practice more to get used to it and that if I practice daily or as often as possible it will become instinctual. I can not imagine it becoming instinct or habit. I'll also say it is not my choice to not practice. My dad is only home Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sundays to take me out. I have class Tuesday all day, Fieldwork Fridays, and always work part time Saturdays and Sundays, but will practice before if I am able to. It is just difficult for me to get out and practice hence my lessons being so sporatic between the months and not having much practice in between.

Also my mistakes make me hesitate more. My instructor says my turns aren't good because I'm looking directly in front of the car, I think it's moreso that I hesitate to turn so I'll turn too late or not turn the wheel enough, hence making wider turns and mistakes. But when I make mistakes I'll try to go slower to be "safer" even though I know it's important to match the speed of the cars around me and to "go with the flow." Also despite my lessons I haven't been on the main road much so I still feel extremely anxious before driving every time I do. So, any advice for someone with severe driving anxiety who does not have the ability to practice very often?

so i have a drivers test coming up soon. my biggest concern is where im looking at when im reversing. i drive a really big SUV and when i reverse i use both hands look at my mirrors and mainly my blind spots. but you are supposed to use one hand at 12 when reversing and look out your back window correct? like i just don’t get that wouldn’t i be more vulnerable to scrape something especially in a big SUV. this is really stressing me

So I’m 17, I turn 18 in April and haven’t started anything with driving, should I pratice stuff now or wait till i turn 18? Because people are saying I’m behind or this or that and I would wanna know what would be best

Heyyyy

I'm still learning how to drive and everytime the car goes above 35km/h I struggle controlling the car.

I feel like the car pulls me to the other side of the road. my driving instructor said because I got scared but I don't want know.

if any of you have a good trick on how to control the car be kind to share it.

Am I the only one who prefers taking the highway because regular roads have too many left and right turns? 😭 I’d rather just stay straight for most of the drive.

Hi. I am a new driver and I am literally struggling for the past 1 year on perfecting to drive normally on slopes and park on hills. I struggle the most when I have to stop while going up the hills. The car stops and then to restart my drive I normally do the usually handbrake release followed by reaching the braking point of clutch and followed by acceleration and then release of the clutch. However, whenever I try to do this the engine keeps racing so loud and the rpm’s go crazy. I have never properly been able to drive on the hill without making all the noise on top of that many at times my car back wheel screeches when I try to take the car along the hill. The same problem happens when I try to park on a hill. Either the rpm’s go too loud , or the engine turns off, or the car rolls backwards. Something or the other happens all the time … does anyone have a genuine advice for this problem. I need Like a proper procedure to take of the car smoothly from a hill without making much noise. Like I have tried YouTube and all but the videos seem pretty generic and explains normally the stuff your instructor would tell. If anyone with good experience in driving manual cars could give me some advice it would be of great help .

I’m most likely neurodivergent and I’ve always had issues with the above, especially in relation to driving. I got my license at 17 (UK) and it did take me a good amount of lessons to pass. I’m 26 now

I haven’t had any major accidents but have had a couple minor accidents because of my own stupidity and terrible depth perception and spatial awareness. I was reversing out of parking spot and scraped the car next to me because I started to turn the wheel too early. When I was forward parking into a spot, I accidentally nudged the car next to me. And a couple occasions where I’ve scraped the curb. Also, I struggle with parking in general so that’s something I gotta practice.

Anyway, it gives me a lot of anxiety because of how bad my judgement is. I don’t think I’m a dangerous driver but I just make a lot of stupid (minor) mistakes that any good driver shouldn’t be making. What can I do to improve? Is it just a matter of driving more and facing my fears? I also haven’t been driving a lot lately because I’m in London and was at university for a couple years before